Opening Summary

The opening of our film shows a clip from the middle of the film. The film is then a flashback of how he got to this point in his life. After the “flashback” the rest of the film will play and we will see how the main characters choice affects everyone in the film. The intro is approximately two minutes long and shows the main character winning a game of poker in a private club or bar. Not only does the main character win the prize money and cars but he also wins a job from the don. He opens an envelope to find orders to make a hit on someone, the identity of this someone will remain secret throughout the introduction but later in the film we will find out and we will see why he is being interrogated this. The next scene is of the main character walking out the poker room as he makes his way towards the cellar where he will complete the “job” the stairs to the cellar is guarded with a bodyguard but the main character has access. He makes his descent of the stairs and walks into the cellar where the suspect is being held. In the cellar there is a member of the mob watching over the suspect. The main character hands over his jacket to the mobster and in return gets given a weapon. The main character then uses the weapon to hit the suspect. In the intro we will try to show the main characters face as little as possible this is so we can keep suspense in our intro and so the audience will want to carry on watching the film to find out who this character is. Our intro fits in to the common genre conventions because we will try and use either men or some of our older looking friends. We will dress them in suits or smart clothes so they look rich and powerful. We will use props like beer cans and cigarettes, and probably use a bat or pole for the weapon. We will light the rooms dimly and have little or no light in the cellar to give the effect of a private underground club. We have tinted the intro in black and white so show it is a ‘flashback’ the rest of the film will be in colour.

White Lies

this link will take you to our uploaded into on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26qVkXTKZBw

however the voice over has not uploaded properly and is not at its origanal quality

Script

Poker game

It all came down to this poker game.

This is where my true colours were played.

I was given the decision. I was given a choice.
I didn’t care about the money I’d made enough of it by now,

but I knew I’d won and with it, the hit.

Stairs

I don’t know how I arrived to this point in my life

But I’m in a family now and what the don wants. The don gets

You gotta do what you gotta do

Cellar

Making a hit on a part of my own family

This is the day the family broke

Preliminary task

we were asked to film a short clip and edit it to learn how to film and edit

the script i used was
Alex -hey ben you have pringles
Ben - i do have pringles
Alex - what flavour pringles do you have?
Ben - they're texas BBQ flavour, do you want one?
Alex - yes please they're my favourite type of pringles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjdHvUnu_LI

Production Schedual

Location Report

The ideal location for the film would be in a dated pub. The issues with the chosen location would be getting the permission needed from the landlord. As we would need to be supervised by the landlord and need to be filmed at a time where the pub is closed to avoid customers from interfering with the filming. Another issue would be getting the whole cast and extras with all the props needed at the same place at the same time. To overcome this we will produce a production schedule which we will keep to. The pub also needs an outside shot so it will need to look the part from outside this however doesn’t have to be the same pub we would just need permission from the owner. Alternatively if we cannot find a pub willing to let us film in our chosen schedule then we can use the cellar or a room in the collage with permission from the head of college. The cellar can be used for all shots in our clip and with no cost which would be ideal. The upstairs rooms could be used however the lighting may be bad but can be darkened when we come to editing the film.

The second location would be in a room/cellar where the suspect is being held this doesn’t need to be at specific location just needs to be poorly lit and empty so it has a cold atmosphere this could be a basement at someone’s house or an unused room at collage. The permission for this shot would be easier as we have access to most rooms in the collage this room will only have a maximum of three of the cast, the camera man and director which can be easily controlled.

Film Plot

The film revolves around drugs, money, betrayal and family trust. The plot centres on the betrayal of a large mob family. The large mob family are notorious for the crime that hits the city. During one of the biggest drug heist of the family’s involvement which would secure the family with respect, power and money to control the city, a member of the family sells valuable information to a rival gang. The rival gang’s involvement destroys any chance of the mob family from securing the money and drugs. The rival gang comes out on top and claims the money and drugs for themselves. The mob family loses out on millions of pounds worth of money and drug and more importantly members of the family. The large mob family now reduced to a few handfuls get chased out of town. From there the family vow revenge and we watch as they regain the respect, power and money that secured them as top dog. We see the main character having to make tough decisions and partake in gruesome scenes which sets him aside from his blood family but unites him with his family of choice, the mob.

Cast list

Certificate

We have chosen to set this film as an 18 as from the start there will be scenes of drug taking which isn’t suitable for under 18, In the background of there will be gambling and maybe violence if a fight breaks out, it is also set in a pub with scenes of drinking, all this accumulates to an 18 certificate set by the British board of film classification.

An 18 certificate film involves:

• Where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence

• Where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sexual or sexualised violence which might, for example, eroticise or endorse sexual assault

• Where there are more explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by context. Such images may be appropriate in ‘R18’ works, and in ‘Sex works’ would normally be confined to that category.
In the case of video works (including video games), which may be more accessible to younger viewers, intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.

Costumes and props

For the costumes we will have smart suits shirts and tie’s this may not be a problem as most of the cast and extras will already have suits if not we will have a selection of spare shirts and suits, which we are willing to lend out. And if we still do not have enough we will buy suits from a charity shop to keep cost at a bare minimum. The cast will be required to wear smart shoes for the shoots.

During the poker game the props we will have are glasses which the pub that we set it in will let us use or what we bring from home. Alternatively we can use plastic cups these are cheaper alternatives and once they have liquid in them they will look like glass. For the poker game itself we will need cards, a poker table top and chips. We will also need some money to put onto the table to make the poker game look authentic. We are already fortunate enough to already have access to these props. If we decide to involve drug abuse in the film then we will use sherbet, this can be bought cheaply on the day from a local shop. For alcohol props we can use empty beer cans or bottles which the school have in the department or what we bring from home. We will need chairs for the poker players to sit on and a table for the players to play on which we can access from the school.

For the final scene we will need a chair for the hostage to sit on and some rope to tie him to it. We can acquire the chair from college and the rope from home. We will also need a bag to place over his head. For the weapon we will use a metal bar which we can acquire from either the college or at home.

Equipment:

· Suits
· Smart shoes
· Shirts and ties
· Cards
· Poker table top
· Poker chips
· Cigarettes
· Alcohol
· Bottles
· Glasses
· Money
· Chairs
· Table
· Rope
· Bag
· Metal pole

Target audience

The target audience for my media piece will be generally aim towards the male gender especially those who are in there 20’s or 30’s because of the 18 age certificate. I don’t expect anyone under that age to view my production. As there will be lots of scenes of violence, drug abuse and maybe some scenes that some people may find intimidating or threatening.

My film involves aspects of crime that can only intrigue the sensation. It will provide the audience to see what it like to be involved in a crime ridden community without facing any of the consequences. They will be able to escape their lives and lose themselves in the story of mob related movie. Because of this we can expect this film to be more popular among men. Although we cannot say for sure that this will be the overall audience. This will be the audience that we will strive to achieve

Producing the film

I will need:

Planning the film:

· Basic plot

· Story board

· Script

· Correct setting for genre

· Correct costumes

Filming:

· Camera

· Camera stand

· Actors

· Extras

· Props

· Lighting

Editing:

· Mac

· Editing software

· Correct music for genre

Crime film Mind Map

Analysis of Movie Posters

For this task I have chosen 3 popular thriller movies, I have chosen The Godfather, Pulp Fiction and The Dark Knight.

These posters make it verry easy to tell the genre of the film just with a quick glance.

The colours used are a the main contributing factor of this,. Black is the main colour used in The Godfather poster with most of it just blacked out with the writing and the godfather himself in white. Pulp Fiction has a bit more colour in but sticks to dark coulours to make it look like a dark room iluminated by a lamp. The Dark Knight poster is set at night to create a dark atmosphere the only soucre of light is a burning bat symbol on the building in the background. All three follow the same colour scheme of dark coulours which creates an atmosphere of suspence and gives the film a scnce of mystery.

The imagary used in each poster is another contrubuting factor to the thriller genre The Godfathers only other colour used is red this is the rose on his suit the red symbolises aggrssion. On the Dark Knight there is a burning building this automaticly show’s there is going to be violence in the film, in both Pulp Fiction and The Godfather there is gangsters which also shows there is going to be violence in the film. There is also guns on the the Pulp Fiction poster.

Taglines are also important on the poster of The Dark Knight the line “Welcome To A World Without Rules” is used this automaticly tells the viewer that there is going to be a lot of crime in the film, on The Godfather “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” This shows there is going to be a deal in the film most likley a crime.

All these different elements contrubute to the overall thriller poster but they can all be used in different ways for example red can also represent lust and love but in a thriller the main use would would be to symbolise violence and mortality

Media questionnaire

I asked 30 people to fill out this questionnaire

1. Are you male or female?
Male Female
2. How old are you?
15-17 18-19 20-24 25-30 40-49 50+
3. Do you like crime films?
Yes No
4. What is your favourite genre of crime film?
Drama Action Thriller mystery gangster film noir
5. What do you like the plot to be set around in a crime film?
Murder Drugs Heist Detectives prisons
6. What would the ideal certificate for a crime film be?
12 12a 15 18


The results I acquired are:

From these I can tell that males prefer the crime genre, and gangster is there preferred sub genre. There favourite plot is drugs but they also like murder and crime films based in prisons. From both sexes the most preferred certificate is 18.
For females the most ideal sub genre is drugs then murder and detectives.

Taget Audience

A crime film to me has to be for viewers of 18 or older. To me to get the truest aspect of crime you can not hold back on any of the realistic representation of the true nature of crime. For example if it was a gangster film has to show the true environment. Like drug abuse and general violence and swearing because they are in a mob and are trying to prove to each other that they are fit to be a part of it, however if it was a younger age you would have to cut down on all of these for it to fit the viewing age. nonetheless depending on the sub genre it can have a lower age certificate in thriller films where there is only one villain the dire behaviour can be cut down as the villain is only proving his mayhem to himself so there could be less general abuse

Film Clasifications

18
• Where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence

• Where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of
violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sexual or sexualised
violence which might, for example, eroticise or endorse sexual assault

• Where there are more explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by context. Such images may be appropriate in ‘R18’ works, and in
‘Sex works’ (see below) would normally be confined to that category.
In the case of video works (including video games), which may be more accessible to younger viewers, intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.

15
Discrimination
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory
language or behaviour.
Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not
promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily
accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example,
aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.
Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic
or sexualised.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and
self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be
copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Language
There may be frequent use of strong language (for example,
‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be
acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated
use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without
strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a
non-sexual or educational context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail.
There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour,
but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable
unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is
sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is
appropriate for 15 year olds.
Violence
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction
of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to
be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also
unlikely to be acceptable.
There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence
but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and
have a strong contextual justification.

Research Questions

1. What is the purpose of the opening to a film?

The opening of the film introduces the viewer to the basic plot of the film it will show the viewer what genre it is to keep them interested and generally what is going to happen in the film.

2. What technique can a director use to create suspense in a film?

There are different ways to create suspense in a film these can be created by using different music and filming techniques. The music would increase in tempo and would fill out with different textures the music also can increase in volume. Settings can be used to increase suspense and transitions between scenes are used. The director uses things like red herrings and flashbacks to mislead the viewer from the actual villains to create more suspense.


3. How do you think a crime film is defined?

A crime film is a film that involves various aspects of crime and the criminal justice system it can fall under many categories like drama action and thriller films. The Mafia is a common example of a crime film .Common characteristics in a crime film follow the law so anything with police in it could be classed as a crime film the characters in a crime film depend on its sub-genre so if it is a gangster film it will be set in a corrupt city in foreign city, there could be Italian features throughout the film.

4. What films can you think that can fit into the crime genre?

Films like Goodfella’s and The Godfather would be the most common and obvious crime genres as they have aspects like drug taking and shooting’s. Most thriller films could be classed as crime films in a way most films fit the crime genre there are also less obvious ones like lion king where Scar kills Mufasa, this could be counted as a crime film.

5. The thriller genre can be divided into sub-genres – what different types of thriller films do you think exist?

· Action Thriller –Often a race with the clock, usually contain a lot of violence, guns explosions.
· Conspiracy thriller –The hero/heroine confronts a large powerful group of enemies who’s true extent only he/she recognises
· Crime thriller –A hybrid of both crime and thrillers has a suspenseful amount of successful or failed crimes often focus on the criminal
· Disaster thriller –Where the main conflict is due to a natural or artificial disaster such as floods hurricanes or nuclear disasters
· Erotic thriller –It involves erotica and thriller such films like basic instinct
· Legal thriller –in which the lawyer hero/heroine confront enemies inside and out of the court and in danger of loosing there life
· Medical thriller -The heroes are medical personnel and are working to solve an expanding medical problem
· Political thriller –In which the heroes must ensure the stability of the government
· Psychological thriller -The conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical
· Spy thriller -In which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or terrorists
· Techno-thriller -Technology is described in detail and made essential to the reader's/viewer's understanding of the plot
· Religious thriller-In which the plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions and questions


6. What are the characteristics or conventions of a crime film? Narrative, characteristics, mise en scene, stars?

Usually set in a city, the cast are usually older and dressed smartly they are usually quite dark films and set at night

7. What do you think the audience pleasure of a crime film?

Audiences watching a crime film enjoy the mystery around the plot and like to see the way the hero solves the crime, a viewer watching the crime genre usually like’s the thriller genre so would like violence and some death, however in the end of a crime film the hero’s succeeds.

8. What do you think are the differences between a horror and a thriller film?

Thriller
A thriller film is based on a main villain with a villain driven plot, the villain presents obstacles/tasks the hero must overcome Thriller films are usually set in foreign cities, deserts, Polar Regions, or high seas. The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" accustomed to danger like law enforcement officers, spies, soldiers, seamen or aviators. However, they may also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident. Thrillers often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. In a thriller, the hero must ruin the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened.

Horror
A horror film is a film that attempts to create fear, the plots usually involve death and the supernatural also may have a central villain. The early horror movies were usually based on gothic horror like Dracula, but now there are being based on after world war two. Horror films are usually dismissed as violent. Some horror films incorporate elements of other genres such as science fiction, fantasy, black comedy, and thrillers.

9. Using the internet research the ‘top 50 thriller films’. Look at the top twenty – which ones have you watched? If it not many, why do your think this is the case?

Rank Rating Title

1. 9.2 The Godfather (1972)
2. 9.0 The Godfather: Part II (1974)
3. 8.9 Pulp Fiction (1994)
4. 8.8 The Dark Knight (2008)
5. 8.7 Rear Window (1954)
6. 8.7 Fight Club (1999)
7. 8.7 Psycho (1960)
8. 8.7 The Usual Suspects (1995)
9. 8.7 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
10. 8.6 The Matrix (1999)
11. 8.6 North by Northwest (1959)
12. 8.6 Memento (2000)
13. 8.6 Se7en (1995)
14. 8.6 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
15. 8.6 Léon (1994)
16. 8.6 Taxi Driver (1976)
17. 8.6 Vertigo (1958)
18. 8.6 Double Indemnity (1944)
19. 8.5 M (1931)
20. 8.5 El secreto de sus ojos (2009)
21. 8.5 The Third Man (1949)
22. 8.5 Alien (1979)
23. 8.5 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
24. 8.5 Das Leben der Anderen (2006)
25. 8.5 A Clockwork Orange (1971)
26. 8.5 The Shining (1980)
27. 8.5 Chinatown (1974)
28. 8.5 The Departed (2006)
29. 8.5 Aliens (1986)
30. 8.4 L.A. Confidential (1997)
31. 8.4 Reservoir Dogs (1992)
32. 8.4 Rebecca (1940)
33. 8.4 El laberinto del fauno (2006)
34. 8.4 Metropolis (1927)
35. 8.4 Touch of Evil (1958)
36. 8.4 The Prestige (2006)
37. 8.3 Safety Last! (1923)
38. 8.3 The Great Escape (1963)
39. 8.3 Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
40. 8.3 Le salaire de la peur (1953)
41. 8.3 Les diaboliques (1955)
42. 8.3 Strangers on a Train (1951)
43. 8.3 Sin City (2005)
44. 8.3 Notorious (1946)
45. 8.3 District 9 (2009)
46. 8.3 Hotel Rwanda (2004)
47. 8.3 Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)
48. 8.3 Jaws (1975)
49. 8.3 The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
50. 8.3 The Big Sleep (1946)


Out of the top twenty I have only seen 5 the reason for this I think is because the top films are quite old and I haven’t had time to watch them.
For this task I have chosen 3 popular thriller movies, I have chosen The Godfather, Pulp Fiction and The Dark Knight.

10. Using the internet, find three posters for thrillerfilms. Complete a brief semiotic analysis of the posters. What colours are used, what kind of imagery, taglines, certificate, narrative?

These posters make it verry easy to tell the genre of the film just with a quick glance.

The colours used are a the main contributing factor of this,. Black is the main colour used in The Godfather poster with most of it just blacked out with the writing and the godfather himself in white. Pulp Fiction has a bit more colour in but sticks to dark coulours to make it look like a dark room iluminated by a lamp. The Dark Knight poster is set at night to create a dark atmosphere the only soucre of light is a burning bat symbol on the building in the background. All three follow the same colour scheme of dark coulours which creates an atmosphere of suspence and gives the film a scnce of mystery.

The imagary used in each poster is another contrubuting factor to the thriller genre The Godfathers only other colour used is red this is the rose on his suit the red symbolises aggrssion. On the Dark Knight there is a burning building this automaticly show’s there is going to be violence in the film, in both Pulp Fiction and The Godfather there is gangsters which also shows there is going to be violence in the film. There is also guns on the the Pulp Fiction poster.

Taglines are also important on the poster of The Dark Knight the line “Welcome To A World Without Rules” is used this automaticly tells the viewer that there is going to be a lot of crime in the film, on The Godfather “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” This shows there is going to be a deal in the film most likley a crime.
All these different elements contrubute to the overall thriller poster but they can all be used in different ways for example red can also represent lust and love but in a thriller the main use would would be to symbolise violence and mortality.

Crime films

Crime films are films based around various aspects of crime and the criminal justice system they are distinctive from every other genre because of the key aspects involved. They can fit into many different sub genres the most common of them would be drama, action and thriller films. There are some characteristics that are more easily shown through crime films like the mafia and criminals.

Common examples of crime films are films like Goodfella’s The Godfather and batman. They all have characteristics in common they have a villain which could be one man or a group of people. And they all follow the story of the hero. the characters in a crime film depend on its sub-genre so for a gangster film the characters would be all in a mob and usually in crime thrillers the hero is a member or ex member of the police force or army like die hard. Most thriller films could be classed as crime film’s. In a way that most films fit the crime genre like The lion king where Scar kills Mufasa, because murder is a crime this could be counted however it could also be argued against. The most Common characteristics in a crime film follow the law so anything with police in it could be classed as a crime film.
Crime films are distinctive from other genres because they are usually set in a foreign city like for gangsters it could be set in Italy or they could be American gangsters in New York but throughout the film you would see the same features. The cast of the film are generally older men because they suit ether part the hero or villain, as with age they would gain more respect and experience they also mainly dress in smart clothes like shirts but again this needs to corresponds with the subgenre. They also mainly follow the tasks and achievements of the hero not the villain.
The crime genre in most cases is usually a cycle because at the start of the film a crime occurs and the hero is then assigned to solve the crime. At the end of the film the hero solves the crime gets rewarded and everything goes back to normality. The director uses things like red herrings and flashbacks to mislead the viewer from the actual villains to create more suspense.
In conclusion I have found that the crime genre has a very broad range of qualities which class it in this genre. However the crime genre is very obvious which is why it is a highly viewed class of films.